Pushin' 'n' shovin' I know the Mavericks are without Dirk Nowitzki. And then Caron Butler for the rest of the season.
It looks bleak. But the Dallas Mavericks can not freak out right now. Now is not the time to do anything drastic that will put this franchise five to 10 years back.
The Mavericks have three trade chips: Dirk Nowitzki, Caron Butler's expiring deal and Roddy Beaubois.
One is UNTOUCHABLE. Another should be untouchable. The other ...
If the Mavericks want to get another big fish at the trading deadline they are going to have to trade Nowitzki and Beaubois. Trading one is unthinkable. Mortaging the future and trading Beaubois could or would be one of the dumbest moves of the franchise.
I don't know if Beaubois is going to be any good. He might flame out or remain perpetually injured for the rest of his career.
But you trade your youngsters if you are one player away from a championship. That's the only reason. The Rangers felt they were one player away. So they traded Justin Smoak and Blake Beavan for Cliff Lee.
Do you think the Mavericks are a player away? Even when they were winning and Nowitzki and Butler were healthy, do you really think they were beating the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs in a playoff series?
NO WAY.
How do you suppose Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Caron Butler have improved? They haven't. Terry's the same player he was a decade ago. Kidd's regressed. Nowitzki's fantastic, but he's not going to become a big defensive presence in his 30s and Caron Butler is who he is.
The Mavericks were depending on Tyson Chandler's impact and Roddy Beaubois returning. Even then, it would be an uphill battle to take down the best of the West.
The Mavericks aren't there. Maybe if they went out and broke the piggy bank and got Carmelo Anthony. Very doubtful if they somehow lassoed Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, Devin Harris or Steve Nash.
Now, Butler's a different story. I don't like Butler much and I think the Mavericks can get better and younger. If they can find a team in need of shedding payroll and can get someone that can play, then so be it. However, you're not getting anything earth-changing for Butler's expiring deal and messed up knee.
"Going for it" is not worth it if it means Beaubois. Stay calm. Stay the course.
